The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-02-10
A TRIBUTE TO GENERAL THOMAS.
Rev. Alex Blaekburn's Address to Grand Army
Men at Fomlinson Hall Last Evening.

A gigantic G. A. r. badge hung above the
stage at Tomlinson Hall last night, and three
buntings of the stars and stripes and couple of
stacks of arms denoted the occasion that drew
$500 people to the hall 1t was Grand Army
meeting at which Rev. Alexander Blackburn, past
grand chaplain of the department., delivered his
address upon George H. Thomas and the Army
of the Cumberland Mr. Blackburn is a Method
ist minister at Lafayette. and WAS private in
the Eighth Indiana, Of the regiments in
General Thomass division. He was wounded
once in manner very strange, being wounded
in three places by the same bullet His address
was delivered in An eloquent and patriotic man.
ner, and was frequently interrupted by storms
of applause.
Mr.. Blackburn said that the opening of the
civil war found the North with but nominal
army and totally unprepared for the secession.
The South, he said was prepared for secession,
and her greatest generals were members of the
regular army. In the cavalry regiment 20 which
General Thomas belonged seventeen of the
twenSy:sSx officers were Southerners. General
Thomas was among the number. But, despite
the fact that he was Virginian, and was tied to
the South by blood, he stood and fought with
| the Union army. General Thomas pro-
noted to the command of his cavalry regiment
| at the outbreak of the war, and, after some
| months of service with the Army of the
Potomac, he was transferred to the
| division under Major Robert Anderson,
| then in Kentucky His first military move
| was at the battle of Mill Springs, which hewon
after hard days fight This in the speakers
estimation, was the first decisive battle Of the
| civil war; and the one which opened an avenue
/ for Grant to attack Donelson, Shiloh and Cor
| NTH. He was offered the command of the Army
of the Cumberland to succeed General Buell., but
refused the commission The first engagement
| hat no otorx
| Perrysville KY, where Buell. was striving to
drive Bragg out of the State. At Stone River
| where Bragg was fought by General Rosecrans
who was giving way, the retreat was checked by
| General Thomas. The speaker then gave
| very graphic account of the succeeding days
fight at Stone River, resulting in the victory for
| Rosecrans. At Chickamaugua he said that the
| day would have been lost bat for Thomas, who
| gathered about him small army that stood as
firm rock. Had Thomas had less nerve or
prudence the day would have been disastrous to
the Union cause. Then came the order from
| Washington making him the commander of the
Army of the Cumberland.
Old jeff Davis, the speaker said. Pazed from
Lookout Mountain upon the Union army that
| lay beneath it, and said it would not
take long to destroy it. At the
| same time three walked upon the
north bank of the Tennessee river and gazed
upon the rebel Notifications The men were
| Sherman. Grant and Thomas. At the battle
which followed General Thomas was ordered bv
Knob, to attack the rebel rife pits, and wait for
orders This he did, but instead of waiting for
ORDERS he stormed the heights of Mission
Ridge and captured it.
Mr.. Blackburn said that the characteristic OF
General Thomas was that he was slow enough
for safety. but s@lft'enough for battle. He was
never man who went to his battles inspired by
any intoxcant. The speaker then dwelt upon
the horrors OF the Southern prison life, and con
cludnR, said: You ask us to forgive: yes, we
do forgive, out we do SO as God does when men
repent We will forget when the tyranny OF
Nero and of Diocletian is forgotten by history
Mr. Blackburn then read a poem, ''The Sol
dier's Friend, which was cheered to the echo by
the audience. It was filled with phrases .ha,
were significant to the old comrades present
The Snovdrift Quartet, consisting of John g.
Blake, Dan DeWolf, w. C. Smock and j. E.
Hoover, then sung 'sOle Shady for which they
we're enc6Ied half dozen times. They also
sung "A Soldiers Song" America and "A
Thousand Years My Own Columbia Senate,
]. B. Mcdonald made an address of q few min
utes. after which the demonstration ended